Birthday Wish
by ollia
Summary: Hashirama tries to celebrate Madara's birthday, but their traditions don't fit at all. For Madara's Birthday 2019.


**Birthday Wish**

**AN: **This is my contribution for Madara's Birthday 2019 and also officially the shortest and quickest thing I've ever written.

**A bit of meta:** I went with Uchiha being traditionally Japanese and following what Wikipedia calls East Asian age reckoning, which means that you turn one year older at the turn of each New Year (Chinese New Year). I liked the idea of Senju having some Indian vibe to them, and in this fic I went with a version of traditional Indian birthday rite (at least according to my very short internet research; apologies for any inaccuracies and misconceptions - the research was super short!). I found parts of it strangely fitting to Madara :)

* * *

The day was cold, as usual for December. For the entire day the sun was so low that it felt like a perpetual sunset. But Madara was more than happy to finally leave the Uchiha compound, even if it meant he would be returning long after dark.

It took longer than usual to sneak out, but he was sure that Hashirama will still be by the river. That guy had stubbornness of a mule. But it came handy when Madara wasn't managing on time. He didn't have to stress about it – Hashirama would always wait.

And so he was. Small figure curled up by the boulder almost merging with the grey stones of the riverbed. Hashirama had such a penchant for melodramatics that he could look theatrically even without any audience.

"Madara! You came! I thought you never will! I gave up all hope already!"

Madara rolled his eyes. Melodramatics embodied. "If you thought I wouldn't come then why are you still here?"

"Why do you always say such mean things?"

"It wasn't mean. It was logical. Can we spar already or are you here just to train your tongue?"

But, instead of falling into a combat stance, Hashirama started to dig in his pockets.

"And what are you doing exactly, right now?" asked Madara.

Hashirama was upturning his third pocket already. How many pockets did he have in those atrocious, striped pants? It seemed though that Madara will be thankfully spared this knowledge because the idiot of his friend found what he was looking for in the third one and was now presenting him with a small bundle.

"I hope I'm not too late, but I wanted to celebrate your birthday…"

"My birthday?"

"You said you were born just after the solstice. The solstice was three days ago…"

Madara furrowed his eyebrows. "So what?"

"You've just turned one year older! It's a reason to celebrate. I don't know how do you do it, but we bestow blessing upon a person and I wanted…"

"I will turn one year older on the New Year. Like everyone else."

Hashirama looked at him as if he just told him that snow was black. "On the New Year?! That makes no sense! You turn one year older on the anniversary of your birth!"

Madara didn't know what to say. Some part of his brain wanted to just scowl at this yet another extravagance of his friend. Another part was dissecting the problem focusing on two extreme examples: a person born one day before New Year versus a person born one day after. So preoccupied with this mental multitasking he was, that he didn't protest when Hashirama pushed him to sit down on a rock.

"I know that you probably do it differently, but in my cla.. ehem.. village we believe it is very important to bestow blessings upon the person on his birthday." Hashirama was unwrapping his bundle. "It is auspicious and spiritually beneficial and… And can you light it up with your Katon?" Hashirama held a candle in a small silver holder in front of his nose.

"Yes. Preferably together with your sleeve."

But he ended up lighting it up alright. He just couldn't refuse that sentimental idiot. Then he sat through a bizarre ritual while Hashirama was waving with the lit candle around his face mumbling some words Madara didn't understand. When it came to next step, and Hashirama brought the fingers, that he had dipped into some strange red powder from the pouch at his belt, to Madara's forehead, he hesitated. "It should be done by someone more spiritually evolved then the recipient. I'm not sure if I qualify. Actually, I'm sure I don't, you're much more mature than me, Madara. But, nevertheless…" With regained resolve Hashirama brought fingers to Madara's forehead and smeared the dye.

"What is it for?"

"It symbolizes a third eye. It's like… like my wish that it opens up for you one day…"

Madara narrowed his eyes. He didn't know why but those words made a shiver run down his spine.

"And now you can have some sweets!" Hashirama shoved a sticky, gooey ball of gods-know-what into Madara's face.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think about it!

And Happy Birthday to Madara!


End file.
